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Michiaki
| classification = | affiliation = Sunagakure (formerly) | team = Taunagi Gang (formerly) | partner = Yūichi (formerly) | clan = | family = Nagamasa (father, deceased) Sachi (mother, deceased) (great uncle, deceased) | rank = | registration = 71-008 | academy age = 12 | chunin age = 15 | occupation = | nature type = | jutsu = | tools = Sand Glass Sword Seals | other = }} Michiaki (ミチアキ, Michiaki) is a free-lance who was originally a from . After becoming disenchanted with his predetermined lot in life, he abandoned his village and joined a band of thieves known as the Taunagi Gang, whom he would later betray. Known for his eccentric yet effective mode of operation, Michiaki has nevertheless managed to remain mostly invisible to the authorities at large: an indicator of his success as a smuggler. While his activities are technically illegal, Michiaki has not been declared a due to his distant relation to the . Typically, he disguises himself as a common, travelling merchant, and maintains legitimate business negotiations in order to hide his involvement in the black market. He is notable for his use of Glass Sand, which is believed to be a variation of the sand manipulation typically associated with the . Background Early Life Michiaki was born in Sunagakure to a woman named Sachi, the owner of a small mercantile store that specialized in dishware, clothes, and other household items. She had decided to manage the shop on her own after her husband died while on a mission a few months into their marriage, and had since continued to live alone in the apartment above the store. But then a man by the name of Nagamasa, the son of ’s younger brother, began to take an interest in her. Despite the fact that he was married and well into his forties at the time, he eventually convinced Sachi that he genuinely loved her and the two began to have an affair. Nagamasa was notorious for his questionable activities in and around Suna, such as running underground gambling parlors and racketeering, but the other citizens typically turned a blind eye to his actions due to his connection to the Kazekage family. His relationship with Sachi was no exception, thus when she became pregnant the incident was smoothed over, and those who were aware of it denied they knew anything had happened at all. After Michiaki was born, Sachi found that her funds would soon be entirely depleted and she would be forced to close the store. With no other recourse available to her, she decided to blackmail Nagamasa by claiming she would divulge the entire scandal to his wife unless he provided them with some form of monetary security. However, instead of meeting her terms, Nagamasa threatened her in turn, saying he would harm Michiaki unless she kept silent. Regrettably, the eventual result of this situation was that they resumed their affair, as Sachi would accept Nagamasa’s payment for her “love” in order to support herself and her son. Many of Michiaki’s earliest memories were of him being given a piece of candy to keep quiet and tucked away in the cupboard beneath the sink while Nagamasa had his way with his mother. He would not realize the significance of what his young ears had heard, however, until years later. Michiaki began attending the in Suna at the age of six. Having been coddled by his mother, it terrified him to leave her side and for months he fought against going to school. Eventually he learned to drag himself to the Academy of his own volition, but he never would overcome his hatred for schoolwork. If it was not practical, meaning something he could put to immediate or active use, Michiaki saw no point in learning it to begin with, and Sachi spent long hours trying to coax him to do his homework. Nevertheless, Michiaki was a bright, quick-learning student who demonstrated his skill and innovation in from an early age. His instructors had high hopes for him, but he continued to be hampered by his timidity and disinterest in academic affairs. Soon he became another one of many victims to bullying at the Academy, with the stated excuse for the oppression being that he was too feminine and a “momma’s boy.” Michiaki would return home with the scrapes and bruises leftover from lunch recess, and this began to worry Sachi immensely. After he listened to her cry herself to sleep over him one night, Michiaki decided to hide the marks left by his perpetrators as well as possible for his mother’s sake, and to that end he unintentionally became skilled in evasion and defense. Ironically, as Michiaki tried to hide his injuries from his mother, Sachi was doing the same to mask the telltale signs of abuse from him, as Nagamasa had become more violent towards her as the years passed. One day, shortly before his graduation from the Academy, Michiaki returned home to find Sachi lying unconscious on the floor after one of Nagamasa’s outbursts, her face badly injured. The doctors did the best they could, but the event left a scar that dragged down the corner of her mouth in a permanent droop. Something changed inside Michiaki after that day, as he had been pushed beyond his limits and could no longer tolerate the mistreatment his mother suffered. He felt as though he and his mother were trapped by their unjust circumstances, and as a result became empty and hollow inside, often lashing out in anger and disdain against those around him in order to revive his fading spirit. He was gradually incensed by the idea of revenge, and continued to mull over the idea of exacting retribution upon Nagamasa over the next few years. In the meantime he continued to grow more ruthless and cunning in battle, having been promoted to at the age of fifteen, although he knew he was not yet prepared to face Nagamasa on his own. Raid on Suna A few months after his promotion, Michiaki made contact with the Taunagi Gang while on a mission and recognized the chance meeting as an opportunity to finally bring ruin to his mother’s oppressor. The Taunagi, an infamous crime organization, had been intending for some time to explore the untapped resources in the . While Suna was still economically depressed compared to other hidden villages, conditions had improved since the some fifty years before, and the gang wished to take advantage of this relative prosperity. Michiaki revealed his to the gang, claiming he had a connection to the Kazekage and knew where the remains of Rasa’s were stored. He promised them entrance into the village in exchange for allowing him to join the Taunagi and “erase his marked name.” In reality this was a clever lie to lead the Taunagi to Nagamasa’s estate in order to settle the score once and for all. However, Michiaki’s plan quickly grew to be much more elaborate than he had at first intended. He used his new alliance to the Taunagi to threaten and extort the aging Nagamasa, then set up operations for the gang from one of Nagamasa’s own gambling establishments in order to frame him. In the process Michiaki discovered where the Gold Dust that Gaara had once used was hidden, and he used the information to quell the suspicions of the Taunagi. He never intended for the heist to be successful, however, and planned to turn the gang over to the Suna forces after he had dealt with Nagamasa. His most impressive feat, however, was his ability to maintain a normal life as a Suna chūnin on the surface without arousing suspicion. The only one who sensed that something was amiss was Sachi, and he and his mother started to grow more distant from each other during the time of his involvement with the Taunagi. This was a fact that pained Michiaki deeply, but he brushed it aside by convincing himself that it would all, in the end, turn out for the best. The night of the raid came, and at first the operation proceeded smoothly. Part of the Taunagi invaded the district that Nagamasa managed in order to serve as a distraction, and because he did not want his criminal activities exposed Nagamasa had his private guard of bribed shinobi engage the marauders. The Taunagi demanded the Gold Dust that Nagamasa allegedly possessed as the price for calling off the attack, but the man was not to be found. With an uneasy feeling, Michiaki realized where he was hiding and returned to his own home. Sachi, aware of the battle taking place in the streets, was beyond relief when she saw that Michiaki was unharmed, but he insisted that she escape to safety, wishing to face Nagamasa alone. Before he had time to explain the reasons why, however, Nagamasa arrived. He had slowly, over the course of the night, began to fit the pieces of the puzzle together and had come to the conclusion that Michiaki was the mastermind behind everything that had happened. When his mother asked him if the accusation was accurate, Michiaki confirmed that everything Nagamasa had said was true. In a blind rage, the older man lunged towards Michiaki, aiming to kill him. But at the last second Sachi threw herself between him and the fatal blow. She crumpled into the arms of her son and Nagamasa, stunned at what he had done, stumbled out of the house. Nearly overcome by his grief, Michiaki forced himself to set the limp body of his mother aside, recovered his resolve, and followed Nagamasa. He killed him in the shadows of an alleyway, using the that he had specifically prepared beforehand for the murder. Because of his mother’s death, Michiaki did not have enough time to carry out the rest of his plan and expose the Taunagi. They had at last acquired the Gold Dust, and as it was too late to cut his ties with them he was forced to leave Suna with the gang, condemning himself to the life of a criminal. He was not declared a missing-nin, however, as superficially the framing of Nagamasa had still been a success. To most citizens in Suna, the incident appeared to have been an attempted coup on the part of Nagamasa, the theft of the Gold Dust meant as a distraction, and Nagamasa’s death nothing more than an execution at the ’s own hands after the former had blindly murdered his mistress in a fit of rage. But neither Shinki nor the council of elders were fooled, and despite the gravity of the treason committed by Michiaki, they absolved him of his crimes as Nagamasa’s death was considered by most to be a relief. The more significant reason for the pardon was that Suna’s chief priestess had seen a vision of a red-haired shinobi in the midst of a sandstorm that would one day emerge from the desert to aid Suna in a time of need. While many doubted the prophecy had anything to do with Michiaki, there was still a slight possibility because of his lineage. However, Michiaki never learned of this fact and assumed he was still on the run from Suna authorities. Downfall of the Taunagi Michiaki stayed with the Taunagi for many years, mainly from implicit coercion as opposed to choice. He continued to hone his skills as a shinobi, albeit somewhat unintentionally as he was mainly focused on surviving the dark maze of deceit, rivalries, politics, and betrayal that entangled the gang and its affairs. During his early days in the Taunagi, Michiaki was barely anything more than a lackey, tasked with running basic errands and aiding older members in small-scale criminal activities. However, considering his strong desire for personal freedom and need for autonomy, he soon became stifled by his low status. Coupled with the numbness of grief after losing his mother, the eventual result was a complete collapse of his morality, and Michiaki became willing to do anything so long as he was compensated and no one disagreed with his methods. It is likely that he would have continued along his senseless path of violence and bloodshed had he not caught the attention of Yūichi, the newly appointed leader of the Taunagi branch in the . Calm and charismatic, Yūichi was an extremely effective leader and one who preferred diplomacy and subtlety to brute force. Perhaps seeing potential in Michiaki, he took him under his wing and eventually became his mentor. At first Michiaki, having been deprived of any form of a father-figure in his childhood, subconsciously admired Yūichi and was thus blinded to the fact that he was being used as nothing more than another pawn in Yūichi’s scheme to become one of the heads of the Taunagi. Years passed, and while Michiaki learned much and gained invaluable experience from Yūichi, he eventually tired of the endless manipulation and exploitation. The final straw was when, intending to usurp the seat of a rival’s power, Yūichi had Michiaki infiltrate their headquarters to gain clandestine intelligence, when in reality he was simply using Michiaki as bait in a more elaborate plot. In the fight that ensued after the trap had been sprung, Michiaki was severely injured, narrowly escaping death after suffering a stab wound to the abdomen. He would later learn that even this had been planned out by Yūichi beforehand as well in order to prompt the rival’s daughter, who was attracted to Michiaki, to act on impulse and thus ensure her father’s defeat. Pushed beyond his limit, Michiaki’s hatred for both Yūichi and the Taunagi began to grow, and he turned once more to revenge. Having eventually become Yūichi’s personal confidant, Michiaki was intimately familiar with the former’s designs upon the seat of the underboss and it was thus a relatively simple matter for him to sabotage them. The Taunagi had, by that time, grown considerably in power and prestige its influence spreading until it had become one of the most prominent crime syndicates in history. They had formed several alliances within the underworld, and one of these affiliations was with a group of terrorists that had revived and used the name of “ ” for themselves in order to instill fear amongst the shinobi nations. Utilizing this information to his advantage, Michiaki began to plant mistrust between the leaders of Akatsuki and the Taunagi, creating a critical weak point in Yūichi and the other branch heads’ plan. Confident in their strength, the Taunagi had decided to capture for themselves and thus legitimize their headquarters. To this end they had hired Akatsuki to aid them by supplying military force. Intending to set-up Yūichi and turn the gang against him, Michiaki embezzled the funds meant for Akatsuki, cleverly playing the emotions of the two groups against each other until Akatsuki became disgusted with the Taunagi. At first, Michiaki never intended for his machinations to bring such a crippling blow to the Taunagi, but after realizing the severity of his betrayal he knew he would have to ensure their complete defeat if he wanted to escape retribution. To that end he hired to help capture the Taunagi using the stolen money in Kusagakure’s name, alerting the few shinobi who were not under the gang’s influence in Kusa to the operation. When the Taunagi finally attempted to overthrow the hidden village, they found that they were alone as Akatsuki had abandoned them. With their feet cut out from under them and trapped in a Konoha ambush, the Taunagi were quickly crushed. The survivors fled the country and went into hiding. One of the few who managed to escape the massacre at Kusagakure was Yūichi, but he did not run for long before he was found by a small party of Akatsuki who had been paid off by Michiaki. Realizing the Akatsuki had been sent to assassinate him, Yūichi fought back desperately but was eventually overwhelmed and wounded. Nevertheless he managed to hold them back long enough to reach Michiaki. Collapsing at the feet of the younger shinobi and former protégé, he begged for his help. Michiaki, however, did not respond to his pleas as he stood there wordlessly, watching as the Akatsuki he himself had hired slaughtered Yūchi in front of him. Avenged at last, with the Taunagi left in chaos and finally free of the demons that had haunted his past, Michiaki left Kusagakure and has since drifted endlessly from place to place as a mercenary and smuggler, living according to only his own terms. Personality Generally, Michiaki is a calm and composed individual who has a straightforward and easy-going approach to life. While outgoing, enthusiastic and somewhat erratic, he remains coolly rational under the most serious of circumstances, although his level-headedness most likely stems from disinterest as opposed to actual tranquility. Surprisingly, despite his charisma and extraverted tendencies he is not given over to sentiment or emotion, and as such he is not easily swayed by feelings – neither his own nor those of others. Instead his approach to life is much more practical, and he possesses a distinctly pragmatic mentality that can at times border on cruel rationality. To those around him, this gives the general impression of a calloused and insensitive individual who has no qualms about using others as steppingstones in order to benefit himself. Nevertheless he maintains a laid-back and relaxed persona, which tends to draw others to him despite his disdainful and blunt disposition. While he is prone to reject company and refuses to be seen as a leader, he is colorful and convincing, eager to accomplish what he sets his mind to with infectious energy, which allows him to easily attract accomplices if he so desires. Michiaki has a strong flair for the eccentric, and his mere presence is accompanied by drama and style. Known for his quips and addiction to sweets, his spontaneous swings between abject boredom and keen interest can seem unusual to those who do not know him well. While he is prone to rush through life he possesses a taste for its finer things, which applies to anything from food to women. This coupled with the fact that he is rather passive, often refusing to acknowledge or retaliate to the insults of others, serves to create an effeminate impression. However, while he may seem unbiased and calmly accepting of whatever is thrown at him, in reality he simply puts very little stock in another person’s opinions or perspectives. This allows him to casually brush aside even the most withering of offenses such as being labeled a coward. Because of this indifference his own words are, conversely, often unrestrained and spiteful to the extreme. He cares about others only insofar as they affect his own schemes, habitually excluding emotion from his thought process when making decisions. To Michiaki, facts are reality, and feelings and emotions come second. He tends to shy away from emotionally charged situations, seeing them as awkward, uncomfortable affairs, and despite his brutal honesty he actually struggles to acknowledge and express his own feelings. Cunning, observant, and a natural risk-taker, Michiaki has an excellent ability to quickly improvise innovative solutions to problems and difficulties that present themselves. He is extremely perceptive of others and an exceptional salesman, able to push even the most devious of shams through due to his clever enthusiasm. A master of lies and false alibis, he is sly, clever, and not above cheating in order to get his way. He prefers to do things off-the-cuff as opposed to following a detailed plot, as while he demonstrates brilliant acuity in certain situations he is not naturally intuitive, and is impatient with complex theories. Needless to say, he can be easily bored by the mundane, and is thus in constant search of excitement. Choked by routine and stifled by intellectual rigidity, he is notwithstanding averse to pain, and he will only take risks so far until they threaten to harm him. As a child, Michiaki was soft-spoken and much more reserved. He had a gentle soul, and was both spoiled and coddled by his mother. He adored her in turn and would cling to her side, but as he grew older he gradually became aware of the fact that he was far too dependent upon her. Stigmatized as being too feminine by his peers, his school days were marked by significant turbulence that caused him to shut out those around him completely, with the exception of his mother. Afraid of being scarred by baring his emotions to the world, he began to bury those emotions instead until eventually he became a hardened and detached individual. Independent, defiant, and supremely suspicious of others, he learned to make decisions quickly and was action-oriented, often heedless of long-term consequences. At first he tended to lose interest in projects quickly, but he then learned to channel his energy into seeing something through to the end, which can at times be taken to fanatical extremes. In the past, Michiaki has demonstrated the capacity to be so driven towards achieving a single-minded goal that he ignored the possibility of personal detriment, such as when he took revenge against Nagamasa and Yūichi. During these times he became cynical to the point where he seemed suicidal, apparently the result of feeling trapped by his circumstances. However his sometimes desperate behavior is by no means a form of bravery, as Michiaki is chiefly concerned with, first and foremost, looking out for himself. This trait has become increasingly more pronounced ever since he defeated Yūichi four years ago, and now borders on complete cowardice. While Michiaki may taunt his opponent and egg them on, when it comes done to actual combat he shies away from any form of physical pain, preferring self-preservation to honor. This can be taken to ridiculous extremes, to the point where he refuses to fight unless given no other option. Michiaki moves at his own pace and slowing down to match some else, or staying focused too long on one detail, easily bores him. Owing to his drive for excitement, he is often blind to the far-reaching implications of his behavior, and can easily find himself at odds with those around him, which is why, despite his charming personality and good social interaction skills, he tends to work alone. Sexually speaking, Michiaki has no real reservations, as he is open to new ideas so long as it is physically enjoyable. His strong perceptive abilities means that he is well-attuned to his partner’s needs, but he tends to be rather unsentimental and blunt as he is able to separate the physical act from the more emotional and spiritual connections that are usually associated with intimacy. As such it is hard for him to stay committed to one person for long, as he does not consider sex to necessarily mean a genuine expression of love. He is rational and can exercise self-control if he so chooses, but his charm and popularity make it all too easy for him to simply move on. Autonomous above all else, Michiaki sees rules and laws as arbitrary guidelines for behavior as opposed to explicit commands to be followed, and he will adhere to them only to the extent that they provide a personal benefit to him. If something needs to be done, then he will see it through regardless of the legality of the actions involved. However, he nonetheless possesses a strong idea of what is right and wrong, and while the morality of his methods may come under question he refuses to cross certain boundaries of his own conscious, doggedly following his own beliefs and principles above all else. He has a surprising amount of personal integrity, but after his conscious was seared in the Taunagi he finds it is all to easy to set morality aside in order to accomplish a certain task, ignoring the fact that what he is doing wrong. Under normal circumstances this would have resulted in an overwhelming sense of guilt, but now he has become skilled enough at making excuses to deceive even himself, and thus he shows no remorse when he sins against another. Yet he is tough-minded and insensitive to failure. Defiance defines him. If for some reason he is denied the ability to follow his own impulses, his first reaction is to seek revenge by mocking other people’s values, and he becomes increasingly anti-social and disdainful, ridiculing the actions of others. He seeks to punish his oppressors in order to revive his fading spirits. When this fails he can become reckless, doing anything in order to regain his sense of vitality, even deviating from his characteristic cowardice in order to find a rush. Appearance Abilities Plot Trivia *The kanji used to write Michiaki's name (道昭) roughly translates to "luminous path" or "bright way." Quotes *(Michiaki's opinion towards romance) "It's not that I'm opposed to commitment, it's just that I have yet to find a woman who can keep up with me." *(To an opponent as he runs from a fight) ''"It really kills me to skip out on you like this but unlike most shinobi, I’m not a masochist." *(Michiaki's ) "My way of the ninja is to avoid all ninja"